Insulation plate to minimize energy consumption for ice cream moulding

ABSTRACT

A mould arrangement for moulding ice cream products includes an upper metal plate, and a plurality of mould pockets that each protrude from a bottom side of the upper metal plate. An insulation plate is arranged adjacent the bottom side of the upper metal plate and the plurality of mould pockets extend through the lower insulation plate.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a mould arrangement for moulding ice creamproducts and a method for processing ice cream with the mouldarrangement.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Ice cream products are formed by filling ice cream or water ice mix,which typically is a blend of sugar, fruit concentrates, stabilizers,flavor and color, into moulds and freezing the ice cream or water icemix to produce stick novelties. The moulds may be formed as moulded-inpockets that are arranged in horizontally rotating mould tables orlinear moulding lines. The ice cream is supplied directly from acontinuous freeze and the mix in the moulds is gradually frozen by acold brine solution which freezes the contents through the mould wall.Sticks may be inserted into the ice cream in the moulds before the icecream is completely frozen. Removing the frozen products requirespassing the moulds through a warm brine solution which slightly meltsthe surfaces of the products and enables the products to be removedautomatically by an extractor unit. Conventional brine heating occurs bypumping the brine through nozzles that are directed upwardly to themoulds, such that the moulds are continuously flushed by the warm brine.The conventional ice cream moulding arrangements and methods aregenerally operated in a satisfying manner. However, a lot of energy isrequired, both for accomplishing the cooling and the subsequent heating.Another disadvantage of conventional heating processes is in some casesthat, prior to extrusion, an undesirable amount of ice cream may bemelted and the product may be lost.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the invention to at least partly overcome one or morelimitations of the prior art. In particular, it is an object to providea mould arrangement that is configured to use less energy compared tothe prior art techniques. For some embodiments of the invention anobject may be to more efficiently direct a heating fluid to the mouldpockets of the mould arrangement.

According to an aspect of the invention, a mould arrangement formoulding ice cream products includes an upper metal plate, and aplurality of mould pockets that each protrude from a bottom side of theupper metal plate. An insulation plate is arranged adjacent the bottomside of the upper metal plate and the plurality of mould pockets extendthrough the insulation plate.

The mould arrangement described herein is advantageous in both reducingthe amount of metal that is exposed to temperature variations while alsoproviding mechanical support for the mould pockets. The insulation platealso reduces the amount of energy required for accomplishing the desiredcooling and/or heating. The insulation plate is formed of an insulationlayer having an insulating material, such as a foam material, and atleast one support layer that is attached to the insulation layer tosupport the insulation layer. A support layer may be arranged on eachside of the insulation layer and the support layers may be formed of astiffer material relative to the insulation layer, such as a carbonfiber material. Using the sandwich-type construction of the insulationplate insulates the mould pockets by reducing an amount of metal that isexposed to the temperature variation and also provides mechanicalsupport for the metal plate such that e.g. conventional support bars maybe replaced by the insulation plate.

The insulation plate may incorporate a number of properties, such as oneor more of the following properties: The insulation plate is a thermalinsulation plate. The insulation plate may have a lower density than themetal plate. The insulation plate may have a thermal conductivity thatis lower than the thermal conductivity of the metal plate. The thermalconductivity of the insulation plate may be less than 1 W/mK, or lessthan 0.2 W/mK, or even less than that. The insulation plate may be madeof a different material than the metal plate. The insulation plate maycomprise cellular plastics. The insulation plate may be made of at least50% cellular plastics. The insulation plate may be fiber reinforced. Theinsulation plate may be in direct contact with the metal plate.

The metal plate may be made of stainless steel. The thermal conductivityof the metal plate is typically at least 14 W/mK.

According to another aspect of the invention, an ice cream mould tableincludes the mould arrangement and a spray nozzle arrangement having aplurality of spray nozzles that are arranged to extend between theplurality of mould pockets in an alternating arrangement. The spraynozzle arrangement is advantageous in enabling the even heating of themould pockets by directing a heating fluid to the exterior surface ofthe mould pockets and to upper parts of the mould pockets that may notbe reached by conventional spray nozzles. Accordingly, less energy iswasted during heating as compared with conventional spray nozzlearrangements that may continuously provide heating fluid to areas inwhich the mould pockets are not located.

According to still another aspect of the invention, a method forprocessing ice cream with a mould table includes inserting ice creaminto mould pockets arranged in a mould arrangement, moving the mouldpockets, by movement of the mould arrangement, to a first position atwhich a cooling fluid is supplied to an exterior surface of the mouldpockets, such that a temperature of the ice cream in the mould pocketsdecreases, and moving the mould pockets, by movement of the mouldarrangement, to a second position at which the mould pockets pass by thespray nozzle arrangement that supplies a heating fluid to the exteriorsurface of the mould pockets, such that a temperature of the ice creamin the mould pockets increases to thereby facilitate extraction of theice cream from the mould pockets.

Although various aspects of the invention are set out in theaccompanying independent claims, other aspects of the invention mayinclude any combination of features from the described features and/orthe accompanying dependent claims with the features of the independentclaims, and not only the combinations explicitly set out in theaccompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features of the invention will now be described, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying schematic drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a top side of a mould arrangement formoulding ice cream products.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bottom side of the mould arrangementshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mould arrangement shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a side of a mould pocket of the mouldarrangement shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bottom side of the mould pocket shownin FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of one of the mould pockets of themould arrangement shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a detailed and partial cross-sectional view the mouldarrangement shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a mould pocket of the mouldarrangement shown in FIG. 1, when located between spray nozzles of anice cream mould table.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of one of the spray nozzles of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a detailed perspective view of a top portion of the spraynozzle shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the spray nozzle shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the spray nozzle taken along cutA-A shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the top of the spray nozzle shownin FIG. 9.

FIG. 14 is a detailed and partially cross-sectional view of a portion ofthe spray nozzle taken along cut B-B shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a top portion of the spray nozzletaken along cut D-D in FIG. 9.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a top portion of the spray nozzletaken along cut E-E in FIG. 9.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an ice cream mould table that includesthe mould arrangement shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart of a method for processing ice cream with themould table shown in FIG. 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The device and method according to the present invention may be usede.g. in a rotary or in-line moulding machine for producing ice creamproducts. As described herein, “ice cream products” may refer to anysuitable products, such as stick novelties or bars, that are formed by amoulding machine. Suitable products may include those formed of icecream, sorbet, sherbet, frozen yogurt, or other related frozen productsthat are formed by moulding.

The present invention pertains to a mould arrangement for a mould table,and a method using a plurality of mould pockets that protrude from abottom side of an upper metal plate of the mould arrangement, as viewedfrom a horizontal plane in which the mould arrangement is arranged. Aninsulation plate is arranged adjacent the bottom side of the upper metalplate and lower than the upper metal plate. The plurality of mouldpockets extend downwardly from the upper metal plate and through theinsulation plate.

Advantageously, the insulation plate has a sandwich-type construction inwhich an insulating material is interposed between two supportinglayers. Using the insulating material enables insulation of the metalmaterial in the mould arrangement to reduce temperature variation. Atleast one of the supporting layers provides mechanical support for themould pockets, such that the insulation plate may replace conventionalsupport bars that were previously used to support the pockets. Reducingthe temperature variation in the metal material of the mould arrangementenables more optimized heating and cooling by reducing an amount ofenergy wasted as compared with conventional heating and cooling methodsthat require repeated cooling and heating. Consequently, the productquality of the ice cream products will also be improved as less surfaceof the ice cream product will be heated and less product will be lost.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-5, an exemplary mould arrangement 1 formoulding ice cream products is shown. The mould arrangement 1 includesan upper metal plate 2 and a plurality of mould pockets 3 that eachprotrude from a bottom side 4 of the upper metal plate 2, as viewedrelative to a horizontal plane of the mould arrangement 1. The uppermetal plate 2 is planar in shape and the mould pockets 3 protrude in adirection that is normal to the upper metal plate 2. When the mouldarrangement 1 is arranged as part of a mould table in rotary mouldingmachine, the upper metal plate 2 may have the form of a section of acircle and configured for rotation. Several such metal plates togetherform a circular plate. Optionally, the entire plate may be circular. Ina linear mould table, the mould arrangement 1 may be rectangular inshape and configured for linear movement. The upper metal plate 2 isformed of any suitable metal material, such as steel or moreparticularly, stainless steel.

Each of the mould pockets 3 has an opening 5 in the upper metal plate 2that opens from the mould pocket 3 to outside the mould arrangement 1for receiving the ice cream product or ice water mix through the opening5, as best shown in FIG. 1. The openings 5 are larger than the mouldpockets 3. A stick may also be inserted into the openings 5 before theice cream product is completely frozen for producing stick novelty icecream products. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mould pockets 3 may bearranged in an ordered pattern such that the mould pockets 3 are alignedin rows and columns along the upper metal plate 2. Any suitable numberof mould pockets 3 may be provided and each mould pocket 3 may have thesame size and shape for producing uniform ice cream products.

The mould arrangement 1 is part of an ice cream mould table that alsoincludes a spray nozzle arrangement 6 by which the mould pockets 3 passfor receiving a cooling or a heating fluid that enables cooling of orextraction of the ice cream products from the mould pockets 3. The spraynozzle arrangement 6 includes a plurality of spray nozzles 7 that arearranged to extend between adjacent mould pockets 3. The spray nozzlearrangement 6 may be fixed to the mould table such that the mouldarrangement 1 moves or rotates relative to the fixed spray nozzles 7.For example, each spray nozzle 7 may be fixed to a supporting mount 8 ofthe mould table. Alternatively, the spray nozzle arrangement 6 may beconfigured to move relative to the mould arrangement 1. The number ofspray nozzles 7 may be dependent on the number of mould pockets 3 andthe spray nozzles 7 may have an alternating arrangement with the mouldpockets 3 to ensure that each mould pocket 3 is arranged between twoadjacent spray nozzles 7. Any suitable number of spray nozzlearrangements 6 may be provided for a single mould table.

As best shown in FIG. 3, each spray nozzle 7 faces at least one sidewall 9 of an adjacent mould pocket 3. Each mould pocket 3 has oppositeside walls 9 that define a width w_(p) of the mould pocket 3. The widthw_(p) of the mould pocket 3 is less than both a length l_(p) and aheight h_(p) of the mould pocket 3. Longer side walls 10 of the mouldpockets 3 define the length of between the side walls 9. The spraynozzles 7 have a height h_(n) that extends along more than half of theheight h_(p) of the plurality of mould pockets 3. The spray nozzles 7may extend along most of the height h_(p) of the plurality of mouldpockets 3 to ensure that heating fluid is directed along a maximumsurface area of the mould pockets 3. The spray nozzles 7 and the mouldpockets 3 may have any suitable heights. For example, the height h_(p)of the mould pockets may be between 100 and 180 millimeters. The shapeof the mould pockets 3 is dependent on the desired shape of the icecream product to be produced. The mould pockets 3 may each have a cuboidor nearly cuboid shape. The side walls 10 of the mould pockets 3 mayalso include depressions 11 or recesses.

Referring in addition to FIGS. 6-8, the mould arrangement 1 includes aninsulation plate 12 that is arranged adjacent the bottom side 4 of theupper metal plate 2 such that the insulation plate 12 is arranged lowerthan the upper metal plate 2 relative to the horizontal plane of themould arrangement 1. The insulation plate 12 is generally planar inshape and extends along a plane that is parallel with the plane in whichthe upper metal plate 2 extends. The plurality of mould pockets 3 extendthrough the insulation plate 12 and to a lower position relative to theinsulation plate 12. The insulation plate 12 includes an insulationlayer 13 that is formed of any suitable insulating material and may haveany suitable thickness t_(i). The insulation plate 12 is formed of atleast two different materials. The thickness t_(i) extends along theheight h_(p) of the mould pockets 3, and may be greater than a thicknesst_(s) of the upper metal plate 2 and less than the height h_(p) of themould pockets 3. A suitable insulating material is foam and a suitablethickness t_(i) may be between 6 and 18 millimeters. The insulationlayer 13 may have a thickness t_(i) that is approximately 10 millimetersand an entire thickness of the insulation plate 12 may be between 6 and18 millimeters.

The thermal conductivity of the metal plate 2 is typically at least 10W/mK, or at least 14 W/mK. The thermal conductivity of the insulationlayer 13 may be less than 1 W/mK, or less than 0.2 W/mK, or even lessthan that. The insulation layer 13 may be made of a different materialthan the metal plate 2. The insulation layer 13 may comprise cellularplastics. The thermal insulation layer 13 may be made of at least 50%cellular plastics. The insulation layer 13 may be fiber reinforced.

The insulation plate 12 includes at least one support layer 14, 15 thatis attached to the insulation layer 13. The at least one support layer14, 15 has a thickness that is less than the thickness t_(i) of theinsulation layer 13 and the at least one support layer 14, 15 may beformed of a material that is stiffer than the material of the insulationlayer 13. For example, the support layer 14, 15 may have a thickness ofapproximately 1 millimeter and may be formed of carbon fiber. Theinsulation plate 12 may include two support layers 14, 15 that areplanar and extend parallel with each other and the insulation layer 13.When two support layers 14, 15 are provided, the insulation layer 13 isinterposed or sandwiched between the two support layers 14, 15. The twosupport layers 14, 15 may include a first or upper support layer 14 thatis interposed between the upper metal plate 2 and the insulation layer13, and a second or lower support layer 15 that is arranged adjacent theinsulation layer 13 opposite to the upper support layer 14. As bestshown in FIG. 7, the first support layer 14 is attached to a first side16 of the insulation layer 13 and the second support layer 15 isattached to a second side 17 of the insulation layer 13 that is oppositethe first side 16. The two support layers 14, 15 may be formed of a samematerial, such as carbon fiber, and the support layers 14, 15 may beattached to the insulation layer 13 using any suitable attachmentmechanism or method. For example, an adhesive material may be used.

The insulation plate 12 is secured to the upper metal plate 2 using anysuitable securing element, such as at least one of a bolt, nut, screw,peg, pin, clamp, fastener, or any combination thereof. The securingelement may be arranged to extend through the upper metal part 2 and theinsulation plate 12 in a direction normal to the parallel planes of theupper metal part 2 and the insulation plate 12. For example, thesecuring element may include a peg 18 that extends downwardly through anaperture 19 formed in the insulation plate 12. The peg 18 may beintegrally formed as a protrusion of the upper metal plate 2 or the peg18 may be formed separately and joined to the upper metal plate 2, suchas by welding. A plurality of pegs 18 may be provided and acorresponding number of apertures 19 may be provided in the insulationplate 12. The peg 18 extends through the aperture 19 to be receivedwithin a nut 20 that is arranged proximate the lower support layer 15 ofthe insulation plate 12. The nut 20 is arranged on the end of the peg18. The connection between the peg 18 and the nut 20 may be furthersecured via glue or welding when the insulation plate 12 is assembled.Additionally, a plastic part or barrier cap 21 may be arranged over thepeg 18 and the nut 20.

Forming the insulation plate 12 as a composite plate having both aninsulating material and a stiffer supporting material is advantageousfor both the function and structure of the mould arrangement 1. Theinsulation plate 12 insulates the steel mould table by being in contactwith the metal of the mould table, such that temperature variation inthe table is reduced. Using at least one support layer, such as theupper support layer 14, is also advantageous in providing structuralsupport for the mould pockets 3 and the table. Due to the structuralsupport provided by the support layers in the insulation plate 12, theinsulation plate 12 may replace conventionally used support bars inknown mould tables.

The insulation plate 12 is configured to surround the mould pockets 3 byextending through vertically extending regions 22 in which the spraynozzles 7 of the spray nozzle arrangement 6 are also arranged. Thevertically extending regions 22 are defined between adjacent mouldpockets 3 and each spray nozzle 7 may extend upwardly into and throughthe corresponding vertically extending region 22 toward the insulationplate 12, as best shown in FIG. 8. Each spray nozzle 7 may accommodatemost of a volume of the vertically extending region 22. A gap 23 may bedefined between a top of the spray nozzle 7 and the lower support layer15 to prevent contact between the spray nozzle 7 and the insulationplate 12. The insulation plate 12 is also formed to define a pluralityof spaces or through-openings 24 between the insulation plate 12 andexterior walls 25 of the adjacent mould pockets 3. The through-openings24 extend around an entire peripheral surface of the mould pockets 3such that the mould pockets 3 extend downwardly through thethrough-openings 24. Providing the through-openings 24 is advantageousin enabling fluid from the spray nozzle arrangement 6 to reach the upperpart of the exterior wall 25 of the mould pocket 3, particularly duringheating of the mould pockets 3.

Each through-opening 24 may have any suitable shape. The shape of thethrough-opening 24 may be a tapered shape. For example, the width of thethrough-opening 24 may increase along the thickness of the insulationplate 12 from the upper support layer 14 toward the lower support layer15. The through-opening 24 may have a width that is 2 millimetersproximate the upper support layer 14 and a width that is 3 millimetersproximate the lower support layer 15 such that the width of thethrough-opening 24 gradually increases. Other dimensions may besuitable. The width of the mould pocket 3 may be constant along theheight of the mould pocket 3 such that the portion of the insulationplate 12 that extends downwardly is formed to taper inwardly from theupper support layer 14 toward the lower support layer 15, therebyforming the tapered through-opening 24.

Referring now to FIGS. 8-16, further details of the spray nozzlearrangement 6 are shown. FIG. 8 shows each spray nozzle 7 of the spraynozzle arrangement 6 being configured to be adjacent two mould pockets3. FIGS. 9-11 show details of the individual spray nozzle 7. FIG. 12shows a cross-sectional view of the spray nozzle 7 taken along a cut A-Ashown in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 shows a bottom view of the spray nozzle 7.FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view of the spray nozzle 7 taken along acut B-B shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 15 shows a cross-sectional view of thespray nozzle 7 taken along a cut D-D shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 16 showsa cross-sectional view of the spray nozzle 7 taken along a cut E-E shownin FIG. 11.

The spray nozzles 7 may have any suitable shape, such as a cuboid shapethat may be similar in shape to the cuboid shape of the mold pockets 3.The height h_(n) of the spray nozzles 7 may be greater than the lengthl_(n) and the width w_(n). Each spray nozzle 7 may have a base portion26 a that is secured to the supporting mount 8 of the mould table and anupper portion 26 b that extends upwardly from the base portion 26 a. Thebase portion 26 a may have a width and a length that is greater than awidth of the upper portion 26 b, and the upper portion 26 b may have aheight that is greater than a height of the base portion 26 a. The widthof the upper portion 26 b may decrease as the upper portion 26 b extendsfrom the base portion 26 a such that the upper portion 26 b is tapered.The base portion 26 a may define a fluid passage 27 that is incommunication between a fluid source and a fluid passage 28 defined inthe upper portion 26 b. The fluid passage 28 may extend along the entireheight h_(n) or nearly an entire height h_(n) of the spray nozzle 7 toensure that fluid is distributed from a maximum surface area of thespray nozzle 7.

The upper portion 26 b includes at least one surface 29 that defines aplurality of spray openings 30 and faces the side wall 25 of theadjacent mould pocket 3. The spray openings 30 are in fluidcommunication with the fluid passage 28 for receiving fluid anddirecting fluid toward the mould pockets 3. The surface 29 may besubstantially flat or planar in shape. As best shown in FIGS. 8 and 12,each upper portion 26 b of the spray nozzle 7 may include two opposingsurfaces 29, 31 that each define a plurality of spray openings 30, 32.Accordingly, a single spray nozzle 7 is configured to provide fluid totwo mould pockets 3 between which the spray nozzle 7 is arranged. Anysuitable number of spray openings 30, 32 may be provided and the sprayopenings 30, 32 may have any suitable pattern. Each spray nozzle 7 inthe nozzle arrangement 6 may have the same number of spray openings 30,32 and the same spray opening pattern, or each spray nozzle 7 may have adifferent number of spray openings 30, 32 and a different spray openingpattern. For example, each surface 29, 31 may have between 20 and 30spray openings 30, 32. The spray openings 30, 32 may be spaced such thatthe pattern of spray openings 30, 32 covers most of the surface area ofthe surfaces 29, 31.

The spray openings 30, 32 that are arranged on opposing sides of thespray nozzle 7 may have the same patterns or different patterns and thepatterns may be selected to correspond to the shape of the mould pockets3. The pattern may be an ordered pattern such that the spray openings30, 32 are aligned, or the pattern may be disordered such that the sprayopenings 30, 32 are randomly arranged. As shown in FIG. 14, furtherconnecting fluid passages 33 may be provided in the upper portion 26 b.As best shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the spray openings 30, 32 havenon-uniform shapes and sizes to produce a specific fluid pattern anddirection of fluid. The spray openings 30, 32 may each be formed toensure that fluid is directed to an entire surface of the mould pockets3. The spray openings 30, 32 may be angled relative to a longitudinalaxis L of the upper portion 26 b that extends along the length l_(n) ofthe spray nozzle 7. The spray openings 30, 32 may be angled to directthe fluid to a specific point along the mould pocket 3 or a specificlocation. For example, all of the spray openings 30, 32 may be angledinwardly toward a median line M extending perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis L of the upper portion 26 b. Different groupings ofspray openings 30, 32 on the same surface may be angled to direct fluidat more than one specific point. The spray openings 30, 32 may have thesame diameters or different diameters.

Using the spray nozzle arrangement 6 is advantageous in ensuring thatheating fluid reaches an upper portion of the mould pockets 3.Accordingly, the heating fluid is more directly applied to the mouldpockets 3 such that less energy is wasted as compared with conventionalheating methods that continuously supply a heating fluid to the mouldpockets. For example, using both the insulation plate 12 and the spraynozzle arrangement 6 may result in an energy savings for the ice creammoulding process that is between 30 and 40% as compared withconventional methods.

Referring now to FIGS. 17 and 18, a rotary mould table 40 and a method41 for processing ice cream with the mould table 40 are shown. Therotary mould table 40 includes the mould arrangement 1 as shown in FIGS.1-16 and the rotary mould table 40 is configured for rotary movement ofthe mould arrangement 1. Although the table shown is a rotary table, themould arrangement 1 may be formed as a rectangular plate that issuitable for use in a linear mould table. The mould arrangement 1including the upper metal part 2 and the plurality of mould pockets 3 ismovable for cooling and heating the mould pockets 3.

The method 41 includes inserting 42 ice cream or an ice water mix intothe mould pockets 3 and moving 43 the mould pockets 3 by movement of themould arrangement 1 to a first position 44 at which a cooling fluid,such as a brine solution having a temperature of around −40 degreesCelsius, is supplied to the exterior surface of the mould pockets 3,such that a temperature of the ice cream in the mould pockets 3decreases. The ice cream or water ice mix may be supplied directly froma freezer having a temperature of around −3 degrees Celsius. The brinemay be pumped to generate turbulence along the mould pockets 3. Duringthe cooling process, sticks may be inserted into the ice cream productand the ice cream product may bulge relative to the mould pocket 3. Thetemperature of the cooling fluid may be dependent on the ingredients ofthe desired product.

After the cooling process, the method 41 includes moving 45 the mouldpockets 3 to a second position 46 at which the mould pockets 3 pass bythe spray nozzle arrangement 6 for heating, as shown in FIGS. 1-16. Thespray nozzle arrangement 6 may be arranged in a fixed location withinthe rotary mould table 40 and the spray nozzles 7 may be configured tobe in an alternating arrangement with the mould pockets 3 when the mouldpockets 3 pass by the spray nozzle arrangement 6. The spray nozzlearrangement 6 supplies a heating fluid to the exterior surface of themould pockets, such that a temperature of the ice cream in the mouldpockets 3 increases. The heating fluid may have a temperature ofapproximately 20 degrees Celsius, but the temperature may be dependenton the ingredients of the desired product. Heating the ice cream in themould pockets 3 facilitates extraction of the ice cream from the mouldpockets 3, such as by an extraction unit. After extraction, the productmay undergo a post-processing, such as being dipped in chocolate orcoated with nuts, before being transferred to a wrapping machine.

In addition to using the spray nozzle arrangement 6, the energy used forcooling and heating the ice cream products may also be optimized bycontrolling the heating fluid. The method 41 may further includestopping movement 47 of the mould arrangement 1 for a predeterminedperiod of time at the second position 46 in which the spray nozzles 7are arranged between each of the mould pockets 3. The method 41 includesspraying 48 the heating fluid for a predetermined amount of time duringthe predetermined period of time when the mould arrangement 1 is stoppedat the second position 46. The spraying 48 may occur during the entirepredetermined period of time or for less than the entire predeterminedperiod of time in which the mould arrangement 1 is stopped. After theheating fluid is supplied to the mould pockets 3, the method 41 includesreducing spraying 49 of the heating fluid after the predetermined periodof time, when the mould arrangement 1 is again moving after the stoppingmovement. Thus, even heating of the mould pockets 3 is ensured withoutwasting energy as in conventional ice cream mould tables.

According to an aspect of the invention, a mould arrangement formoulding ice cream products includes an upper metal plate and aplurality of mould pockets that each protrude from a bottom side of theupper metal plate. An insulation plate is arranged adjacent the bottomside of the upper metal plate and through the plurality of mould pocketsextend through the insulation plate.

The insulation plate may include an insulation layer and at least onesupport layer that is attached to the insulation layer to support theinsulation layer.

The support layer may be made of a first material, and the insulationlayer may be made of a second material different than the firstmaterial.

The first material may be carbon fiber and the second material may be afoam material.

The at least one support layer may be a first support layer that isattached to a first side of the insulation layer and the insulationplate may comprise a second support layer that is attached to a secondside of the insulation layer that is opposite the first side of theinsulation layer to support the insulation layer.

The upper metal plate may have a plurality of elements that protrudefrom the bottom side of the upper metal part and through openings in theinsulation plate for securing the insulation plate to the upper metalplate.

The mould arrangement may include a space defined between the insulationplate and a wall of an adjacent one of the plurality of mould pockets.

The space may be tapered toward the upper metal plate.

The space may surround a peripheral section of the wall of the adjacentmould pocket.

According to another aspect of the invention, an ice cream mould tablemay include the mould arrangement, and a spray nozzle arrangementincluding a plurality of spray nozzles that are arranged to extendbetween the plurality of mould pockets in an alternating arrangement.

Each of the plurality of spray nozzles may have a cuboid shape includinga height that extends along more than half of a height of the pluralityof mould pockets.

Each of the plurality of spray nozzles may have at least one surfacethat defines a plurality of spray openings and faces a side wall of anadjacent one of the plurality of mould pockets.

Each of the plurality of spray nozzles may have at least two opposingsurfaces that each define a plurality of spray openings.

A method for processing ice cream with a mould table includes insertingice cream into mould pockets arranged in the mould arrangement, movingthe mould pockets, by movement of the mould arrangement, to a firstposition at which a cooling fluid is supplied to an exterior surface ofthe mould pockets, such that a temperature of the ice cream in the mouldpockets decreases, and moving the mould pockets, by movement of themould arrangement, to a second position at which the mould pockets passby the spray nozzle arrangement that supplies a heating fluid to theexterior surface of the mould pockets, such that a temperature of theice cream in the mould pockets increases to thereby facilitateextraction of the ice cream from the mould pockets.

The method may include stopping movement of the mould arrangement for apredetermined period of time at the second position where the nozzlesare located between the mould pockets, spraying the heating fluid for apredetermined amount of time during the predetermined period of timewhen the mould arrangement is at the second position, and reducingspraying of the heating fluid after the predetermined period of time,when the mould arrangement is again moving after the stopping movement.

While the invention has been described with reference to one or morepreferred features, which features have been set forth in considerabledetail for the purposes of making a complete disclosure of theinvention, such features are merely exemplary and are not intended to belimiting or represent an exhaustive enumeration of all aspects of theinvention. The scope of the invention, therefore, shall be definedsolely by the following claims. Further, it will be apparent to those ofskill in the art that numerous changes may be made in such detailswithout departing from the spirit and the principles of the invention.

1. A mould arrangement for moulding ice cream products, the mouldarrangement comprising: an upper metal plate, and a plurality of mouldpockets that each protrude from a bottom side of the upper metal plate,wherein an insulation plate that is arranged adjacent the bottom side ofthe upper metal plate and through which the plurality of mould pocketsextend.
 2. The mould arrangement according to claim 1, wherein theinsulation plate comprises an insulation layer, and at least one supportlayer that is attached to the insulation layer, to support theinsulation layer.
 3. The mould arrangement according to claim 2, whereinthe at least one support layer is made of a first material, and theinsulation layer is made of a second material different than the firstmaterial.
 4. The mould arrangement according to claim 3, wherein thefirst material is carbon fiber and the second material is a foammaterial.
 5. The mould arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the atleast one support layer is a first support layer that is attached to afirst side of the insulation layer, and the insulation plate comprises asecond support layer that is attached to a second side of the insulationlayer that is opposite the first side of the insulation layer to supportthe insulation layer.
 6. The mould arrangement according to claim 1,wherein the upper metal plate has a plurality of elements that protrudefrom the bottom side of the upper metal part and through openings in theinsulation plate to provide for securing the insulation plate to theupper metal plate.
 7. The mould arrangement according to claim 1,further comprising a space defined between the insulation plate and awall of an adjacent one of the plurality of mould pockets.
 8. The mouldarrangement according to claim 7, wherein the space is tapered towardthe upper metal plate.
 9. The mould arrangement according to claim 7,wherein the space surrounds a peripheral section of the wall of theadjacent one of the plurality of mould pockets.
 10. An ice cream mouldtable comprising: the mould arrangement according to claim 1, and aspray nozzle arrangement including a plurality of spray nozzles that arearranged to extend between the plurality of mould pockets in analternating arrangement.
 11. The ice cream mould table according toclaim 10, wherein each of the plurality of spray nozzles has a cuboidshape including a height that extends along more than half of a heightof the plurality of mould pockets.
 12. The ice cream mould tableaccording to claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of spray nozzleshas at least one surface that defines a plurality of spray openings andfaces the wall of an adjacent one of the plurality of mould pockets. 13.The ice cream mould table according to claim 12, wherein each of theplurality of spray nozzles has at least two opposing surfaces that eachdefine a plurality of spray openings.
 14. A method for processing icecream with a mould table according to claim 10, the method comprising:inserting ice cream into mould pockets arranged in the mouldarrangement, moving the mould pockets, by movement of the mouldarrangement, to a first position at which a cooling fluid is supplied toan exterior surface of the mould pockets, such that a temperature of theice cream in the mould pockets decreases, and moving the mould pockets,by movement of the mould arrangement, to a second position at which themould pockets pass by the spray nozzle arrangement that supplies aheating fluid to the exterior surface of the mould pockets, such that atemperature of the ice cream in the mould pockets increases to therebyfacilitate extraction of the ice cream from the mould pockets.
 15. Themethod according to claim 14 further comprising: stopping movement ofthe mould arrangement for a predetermined period of time at the secondposition where the spray nozzles are located between the mould pockets,and spraying the heating fluid when the mould arrangement is at thesecond position, and reducing the spraying of the heating fluid when themould arrangement is again moving after the stopping movement.